MTN Group will spend up to R6-billion buying back and cancelling its own shares over the next three years.

Scientists in the US have uploaded a fruit fly to a computer simulation, while an Australian lab has taught neurons on a glass chip to play a 90s video game. How long before we are all living in a sci-fi movie?

It sounds like the opening of a sci-fi film, but US scientists recently uploaded a copy of the brain of a living fly into a simulation. In San Francisco, biotechnology company Eon...

Recording of humpback whale from 1949 could also provide new understanding of how the huge animals communicate

A haunting whale song discovered on decades-old audio equipment could open up a new understanding of how the huge animals communicate, according to researchers who say it’s the oldest such recording known.

The song is that of a humpback whale, a marine giant beloved by whale watchers...

The glitch meant logged-in users could view and edit other companies’ details without their consent.

US based Covid vaccine recommendations for children and pregnant people on ideology instead of evidence, critics say

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There was scant data behind ending the Covid vaccine recommendation for pregnant people and children, according to internal memos made public because of a lawsuit against the US Department of Health and...

Global law firm Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer is adopting Legora as its firmwide general-purpose AI platform, marking a significant step in the firm’s investment in innovation and technology‑enabled legal services. Legora will act as an “intelligent legal colleague”. It supports smarter drafting and interaction with documents, insights generation, data analysis, summarisation and...

Latest observations of L98-59d, about 35 light years from Earth, suggest it could be different to anything seen before

Astronomers have identified a planet composed of molten lava, suggesting the existence of an entirely new category of liquid planet.

The distant world, known as L98-59d, is about 1.6 times the size of Earth and orbits a small red star 35 light years away. Astronomers initially...

Spar became the latest JSE-listed company whose shareholders objected against the group’s executive pay policy and the way it was implemented. A substantial 61% voted against how executives were paid at the 2025 AGM. “The AGM backlash means shareholders are paying attention and legitimately using their voice to show discontent,” says Ray Harraway, Institute of […]

In a resounding validation of its AI-driven model, newly listed fintech powerhouse Optasia has dropped stellar full-year results for 2025, smashing through revenue targets and solidifying its position as a dominant force in emerging market financial inclusion. The numbers tell a story of hyper-scalability and strategic genius: Revenue skyrocketed 76% to $265 million, while the total […]

Low fi fun from Texas

Today’s puzzles all come from … the Hyde Park Math Zine!

This delightful publication is written in pen on a single folded sheet of paper, has a print run of 30 copies, and is distributed in the neighbourhood of Hyde Park in Austin, Texas.

Continue reading…

After sunset on 20 March, look up to catch the earthshine, when the unlit face of the moon will be faintly visible

Look west after sunset on 20 March and you will find a beautifully slender crescent moon in conjunction with the glorious beacon of Venus, low in the evening twilight.

Venus has been prominent in the dusky skies for several weeks now, outshining every star. On 20 March it will be...

The backlash to the growing use of the tech has led to an explosion in attempts to come up with ‘AI-Free’ logo that could be used globally.

Pretending not to hear parents or hiding toys are among children’s early ploys, while by age of three they may be telling lies such as ‘a ghost ate the chocolate’, research finds

They may be yet to take their first step or say their first word, but some babies have already grasped the basics of deception before their first birthday, according to research.

The study, based on interviews with...

Evidence is piling up that GLP-1 drugs can treat addiction. We must learn from the way that obesity has been stigmatised

In the years since so-called weight-loss jabs entered widespread use, there have been reports that these drugs may not just reduce food cravings, but in fact cravings and desires full-stop. Earlier this month, a study using large-scale data from US veterans undergoing...

Colossal Biosciences’ CEO says its work follows a ‘moral obligation’ while critics say it’s ‘tech bro’ hype that could undermine conservation

Can and should we resurrect animal species that have been extinct for thousands of years? Such weighty, existential questions were once the preserve of science fiction but are now being played out within an unassuming brick building in a Dallas business...

First major study on ‘AI psychosis’ suggests chatbots can encourage delusions among vulnerable people

A new scientific review raises concerns about how chatbots powered by artificial intelligence may encourage delusional thinking, especially in vulnerable people.

A summary of existing evidence on artificial intelligence-induced psychosis was published last week in the Lancet Psychiatry,...

Her research popularised the idea of the wood wide web, but the scientific backlash was brutal. As the author of The Mother Tree returns to the forest in a new book, she discusses her battle to reimagine our relationship with nature

In 2018, the ecologist and writer Suzanne Simard was conducting research in the forested Caribou Mountains of western Canada when a thunderstorm rolled in. She was...

Exclusive: Guardian investigation finds data from flagship medical research leaked dozens of times

Confidential health data has been exposed online on dozens of occasions, a Guardian investigation can reveal, raising questions about the safeguarding of patient records by one of the UK’s flagship medical research projects.

UK Biobank, which holds the medical records of 500,000 British...

Cern researchers are testing traps capable of moving antimatter, which explodes into energy as soon as it comes into contact with regular matter

When the truck pulls away from the building at Cern, the European particle physics laboratory near Geneva, all eyes will be on its precious cargo, a one-tonne device containing some of the most exotic material on Earth.

The 20-minute test run around...

A landmark lawsuit will set the stage for thousands of people who say social media platforms are intentionally addictive.